Winning the Battle
by FlareOfDragon
Summary: A baby battles in a harsh blizzard. Short Story. OT


Disclaimer: I do not own the Pokemon franchise. This story is owned by the author with all legal rights included.

A/N: This is an OT, no romance, short story.

**The Battle**

A frigid gale had enveloped the land. The vast plain was swept clean with icy wind; no color remained in the surroundings. The cold drilled through the skin like a blanket of thick piercing nails that could pierce the marrow. Not one creature would dare to walk outside of their burrows. With such extremity the wind blew.

A solitary figure was dragging itself through this frigid wasteland. His head was hunched over so that he could only see a few feet ahead, the wind made it impossible to see further anyway. His thick, heavy coat did nothing to hinder the chill from settling into his bones. His last footsteps were being erased as he lifted his boots. He realized that the desolate place would never give a break in continuity. The trees completely buried in snow were nothing more than mounds of snow shifting in the powerful desert.

He spit to the side and watched it blow and disappear into the white surroundings. He heard a solid thunk over the muffled sound of the wind. His heart grew weary and it spread to the very center of every bone of the body. The cold nails that had stabbed through the skin were stuck to his bone and now attached to his body. The lively explorer that used to occupy his body became too fantastic to imagine. The explorer that saw nature like an amazing diamond that drew him into its powerful lure. A jewel of such unquestionable beauty that he had to see every part of it. A world that he believed to be his to see. Such bravery, such stupidity, he could not tell what it was.

His feet had led him to the edge of the forest through the haze of his mind. He could see the pillar supporting the floating dunes of snow above him. The solid architecture provided a temporary shield from the sheer cold. The light started fading away; night-time must be near. He told his body to create a shelter, even a slight protection, but the body would not listen. His heart was too weary; the nails had dug in deep. Darkness overtook his senses.

Suddenly, light flooded into the world with a great burst. There was a different fading, and now he realized he could hear again. Someone was mad at him, he wondered if it was a dream. But the world began to gather around and he again felt the dulling continuity and knew it was not his creation. Someone was yelling very close to him. The icy wind had disappeared and he could again raise his head to meet the horizon. He could make out destinations, shapes, so the dreary landscape that was immediate would not drain him anymore. The boy started rising to his feet and felt a sudden stinging sensation to the side of the cheek. Bewildered, he looked around and found an old face. It was contorted in anger and rage; that man was holding his shoulders down so that he could not lift himself up.

His voice struck the ears again, and their vibration made the boy extremely scared. His cheek was vibrating too, and now he was looking at the ground, the other cheek vibrating. The sting was like the sharp icy wind and tears rose up into his eyes. Suddenly he wanted his friends, he wanted to feel their body and absorb their comfort. But the darkness came again.

"You know, you really scared me out there kid. I don't know what you were thinking, but going out on that river in a crazy weather was not smart at all." Someone was talking again. "I thought it was some baby that did not have enough strength to get away. Well I guess I was right, it was a baby." The scenery had changed. It was warm, and there was brown all around. "You really pissed me off then. Thinking about giving up when you are responsible for so many lives close to you. Do you even think about them?" Darkness settled in again.

The boy blinked as a warm liquid went through his throat. Warmth filled his body for the first time.

"I know you can hear me. Hell, I gave you enough food so you could make that journey twice over. Don't play this game with me."

The boy blinked again and the bowl was empty. The cabin was quiet for a while as the man worked around the house. Suddenly he saw them.

"Give me back my friends."

"Friends? Oh you mean these?" There was a sarcastic tone in his voice.

"Give them back to me! They are mine!" He was getting extremely weak.

"I don't know if you own them anymore. Anybody who doesn't care about their belongings does not own it."

"They are mine! I will prove it to you! Just call out one." Frantic, what would happen if they weren't? Would I be ok?

The man walked to the boy in an ironic way and looked down at his eyes. Suddenly he turned out and called out one of his friends. It was the reptile with red color, fire tip blazing; he could make the shape out as the white light filled the room. The boy suddenly got up and rushed toward his friend. But he could not get any comfort out of just one; he called out all of them around him. His mind calmed down. But he still was not comforted, it was unnatural.

"Can you see them?"

He looked down to see their friendly eyes and found nothing. Those orbs were filled with fatigue and were driven to the point of exhaustion. The journey had been hard on their body.

The boy remembered like sudden jolt the point for him to walk through this river. The blizzard was the perfect opportunity for the trainer to connect and train his Pokemon, that's what he had figured for the creature had to have complete trust in him to follow the orders in even the most drastic condition. He found a trainer there exploring for a shelter and he never wanted to miss an opportunity.

The battle was extremely one sided. While the opponent was a better trainer overall, he was able to get his Pokemon to stay out longer beyond their capabilities. He did not have one defeat and walked away smugly from the battle for using the terrain and tactic to overcome a superior opponent. Then he walked to the nearest Pokemon center.

"That's the problem with you babies, you never think about the lives you are dealing with."

"I planned to go to the center!"

"Look how that turned out. What do you think nature is? Something to ogle at? It demands respect, and if you don't respect it, it won't respect your life."

The boy stayed silent and knew that the man was wrong. He respected nature. He wore the appropriate clothing and had the appropriate utensils. Did he not have a compass to find his way out if he ever got lost? He always knew where he was, he always knew the power of nature. A dark quiet frustration built inside his furnace. He would not stand to this madness, these Pokemon needed healing from their last battle and this man was stopping him from going out there.

"Maybe you just don't care about your Pokemon."

"I do."

"Hmm…"

"I do!"

"Tell me, how did they get into such a bad condition?"

"We battled. They are just low on health. I need to go to the center."

"You don't have potions?"

"Yes." But he had already used them all.

"Then why aren't the Pokemon better?"

"…" Why weren't they better?

"They look like they are about to faint!"

"…"

"That wasn't a battle. You almost killed your Pokemon!"

"…"

"Look at them! Their body might have been in frostbite!"

"…"

"Baby, look at them." Why?

"They were already soaked when I first pulled them out." And he looked at all 6 of them rasping in high fever. His Charmeleon…

"They almost died for you." The Charmeleon was smiling the same smile…

All of his Pokemon had taken a beating from the powerful Blastroise. The water had slowed down their energy. But each one had taken 10 minutes to go down and the blizzard had blown furiously. He was down to the last two. The Electabuzz was doing its best to maneuver itself to an attack but the hydro pump would not let it get firm ground.

―Electabuzz, use Thunder to make shield!

Electabuzz's electricity exploded downward and the permafrost exploded up and blocked the incoming water. The powerful Pokemon was tiring now and the blizzard was really taking its toll. It was leaning against the wall for support as it fought to recover its breath. Suddenly a burst of water came from the side.

―You did good Electabuzz, the blizzard must be really affecting him by now. Now come back out Charmeleon.

The Charmeleon was tired from its previous battle with a Bellsprout but it was ready for this battle. The Blastroise came out roaring with a huge hydro pump. Charmeleon went behind the new rock formation for protection and dug underground. The Blastroise rolled to the side of it like before and shot a jet of water behind the barrier but it could not find its target. Suddenly the ground opened up and the lizard slashed through the shell. The sudden attack faltered the big Pokemon and Charmeleon attacked ferociously with powerful swipes toward the face. Taking initiative as Blastroise became more off balanced, the claws swung to the leg and jumped away. The trainer recalled his blue turtle and the Baby ran to his friend. His chest glowed with pride for his perseverance over the better fighter.

His friend gave him a smile and went limp into his arm.

* * *

A/N: Well, some subtle distinctions to note: 

a) When you spit and it freezes in the air, the temperature is below -50 degrees.

b) The only point where you can walk unhindered is a river. Trees cannot grow on a river so it provides a natural pathway of sorts. He would only know it is a river through previous knowledge, of course.

Reviews are appreciated. Please comment even if you did not like the story. I would love to know why you made that opinion though.


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